Days of Dreams ……. Nights of Wonder

The Frozen Light of the Moon

In the teeth of an alpine gale a few nights ago, I managed to hold the tripod still enough to capture a fleeting and subtle image of a Moon Bow arching across the Thredbo/Crackenback Valley in Kosciusko National Park. A moonbow (also known as a lunar rainbow or white rainbow), is produced by light reflected off the surface of the moon refracting off of moisture laden clouds. At this time there was sleet blowing off the Ramshead Range, the night sky was clear and stars were shining like diamonds in the frozen air. Moon-bows are relatively faint, due to the smaller amount of light reflected from the surface of the moon. They are always in the opposite part of the sky from the moon. To our eyes they appear to be white. However, as you see here, the colours appear in long exposure photographs. Inspired by Ailsa’s Travel Theme … Subtle